Page 83 of Border Control

The lean-to is closer to the BMW. He hides in there, hunkered over their beds, but I can still feel his gaze on me. Hear my desperate rejection echoing in the bond, vibrating with it.

Morgan regains his composure, straightening his collar and tie. “You're done, Lisa.”

I'm not done, not yet. This can’t be happening. He’s going to ruin the inquiry, but I don’t have proof.

Cold rain dribbles down my shoulders and back. My hair's probably a mess. The screaming in my mind fades in and out in time with my thudding heartbeat.

Morgan's smirk cuts me like a knife. “Nice lipstick. What a slutty shade.”

My alt persona lipstick. I hadn’t had time to take it off.

The cold becomes fire. My head jerks up and I slug Morgan in the jaw.

He goes down in a tangle of umbrella and a splash in the yard.

My fist aches, quickly removed as Dom accepts my pain.

“You bastard,” I yell. “I’ll prove you’re fucking around with Accu-care, and then you’ll be taken off the inquiry and fired.”

Morgan's face turns purple. “Wha… of all the… you?—”

I don't wait for him to marshal his thoughts. I storm toward the house, past Ellen and Terry who stare open mouthed. I can't stop or I won't be able to contain this anger, I have to get away from it.

And away from the alien who's ruined my life.

TWENTY-ONE

DOM

With each stepLaw-rah takes away from me, her screams intensify, red and purple shards of anger surrounding her.

The human she punched gets up puffing, the younger man and El-len rushing to help him.

Once he's upright, the older man seems to swell. “I'll see you in court, young lady.”

El-len's eyes widen, but the human shuffles away, so she's not in physical danger. She doesn't need me.

Law-rah does.

‘Dom.’Arik’s mental voice is gray with exhaustion.

I see what he's had to do: Nevare is unconscious in his arms, knocked out by Arik when Law-rah’s fear and pain got too much.

‘She took over.’I can't believe it. A human commandeered the mind sync.

‘I can believe it,’Arik says, voice grim.‘I had to use the failsafe.’

A sedative. My fists clench. As soon as Arik felt Law-rah take over, he removed Nevare so she wouldn't harness his powers accidentally.

‘It’s a disaster,’I say.

‘A worse disaster would be Nevare destroying something again.’Arik grunts mentally as his footing slips. My arms reach out in reflex to support Nevare’s slight weight, even though they’re klicks away from me.‘Ilia is starting to suspect something is amiss.’

‘We have orders for silence.’

‘I am well aware. But this silence might cost us everything.’Arik's voice turns hard, covering the despair I feel circling his hearts.

The omission sits between us and our leader like a blast door, thick and impenetrable. But he won’t be able to advise us, this is a Parthistock issue.